Been a while - and some good(?) news!

[Gothch1ck]

Alrighty. Been back n' forth with everything as of lately.

Used to talk about wanting a Tablet PC/Laptop that I could draw and do my work on and all that.

Found out the ones everyone recommended were just never gonna hit my price range.

So recently hit the Ebay back up for a HP TX2500 model Tablet - Yes, I know they are the Xbox360 overheating beasts of the laptop world, and not too powerful int he GPU department - but I figured:

1) I could take preventative measures so it doesn't over heat.
2) I don't need it to play High-Def games out there - just do my drawing and such, and Minecraft.
3) Finding one of any other Wacom - Pressure Sensative - TouchScreen Portable devices is proving a pain.


So I figure.. just go for it, if nothing else it will be some satisfaction a few years of waiting has needed.

So I tally off to ebay to find one with 5 minutes left - I tried to read if it has problems as fast as I could and popped a bid in (It was $168 - I put in 175) However as I hit submit and confirm bid - the timer ran out. I missed "The Cheapy". Figuring, ok, well that one went cheap, what else is out there? I found numerous already-broken ones, much too highly priced. ($350+ Without AC/cable - and that was the "best" one)

Lots of "No HDD" "cracked screen" "No RAM" ones - all in the $200 range - skipped them, too much hassle in a laptop/PPC (Portable PC)

Then I found the perfect one, decked out with I *think* it's max RAM and in GREAT shape, but I had to work... so I threw my max bid in figuring it probably won't go past $260 (considering the 3 ending the near same time all going for less)

Sadly I got off work at 9:30 - and the Auction ended at 7:30 - so 2 hours after I could do anything - got home and... Got Sniped, by $5. I messaged the seller with "Seriously? $5? Tell me if he doesn't pay - cuz I will pay RIGHT NOW with paypal."

Seller was giving buyer the full 5 days sadly. I couldn't wait that long for a "maybe" there were more Auctions. So.... I said " ok" and bid on others.

Got outbid (For what I think was way too much, $320+ after shipping for 2GB RAM) and then finally Sunday (yesterday) got biddin on a "Fully Decked out" system.

AMD Turion X2 RM-70 Dual Core 2GHz
4GB RAM
Standard Radeon HD 3200 Video
60GB SSD (this could be a bitter sweet thing - slow SSD will destroy the system speeds)
Screen in great condition
Wireless 802.11a/b/g/n Broadcom I think
Fingerprint Reader
5-in-1 Integrated Digital Media Reader
6-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery (Roughly 1 hour live time- planning to get a 10400mAh replacement, think this 6 cell is 6,000 some)
Stylus
Media Remote
Built in Webcam


Now it may not mean much to people - but the Stylus and Media remote included are a big thing - the stylus alone- new, is like $50. The media is about $30. Not having these was a big downer on other auctions.

Including Shipping I paid less than $300 With 3-5 Business Day Shipping option.

What do you think? Decent Deal? (As long as everything is As Advertised)

 

[MindoverMaster]

What are you looking for? Budget? AFAIK, ones that they call "tablets/laptops" are really crappy. You either want a full-fledged laptop or tablet. The specs might be good, but I doubt that it's going to get any cheaper.

I can recommend the ASUS Transformer. (Or the new Transformer Prime) I and my friend each have one. IMO, it's a nice system.

 

[Gothch1ck]

Well I wanted a Portable Digital Drawing Center - Wacom technology. Looking for them has been a troubling process.

The HP TX2xxx series (as well as some TX1xxx models) has a massive OverHeating build up problem that left untreated will destroy the GPU. Like an Xbox360 RROD. However it has an easy fix - new thermal compound, and a 1mm copper plate, plus some easy cleaning of the fans/fins.

The tablet (Laptop with swivel Monitor to form a Slate style) is pretty much ideal for what I want - and according to some other reviews it will play Minecraft (the only game I would want to keep portable) with 100+ FPS. Running my paint programs and drawing programs was main concern - but these little media boxes were made for that.

The downside is the standard LI-Ion battery has a whopping like 1-2 hour life. Thankfully there are some 3erd Party made Batteries with higher mAh - although heavier, weight is not a concern - I will always have it sitting on something (to help airflow mainly) and since X-strapping will hold the weight much better on my body then say a standard Laptop case shoulder strap - I should be able to deal with 5-6lbs of laptop luggin everywhere.


The real main concern for "Did I get a good value?" would be the 60 GB SSD harddrive.

Until it's here I can't really check which brand/model it is - so assuming they cheaped out and got a junky model, I may have some issues with speed.

 

[MindoverMaster]

Have you looked into Dell or Lenovo, to their models? I and others pretty much stay away from HP.

 

[Gothch1ck]

I've already discussed HP's issue on it.

Plus HP no longer supports it - and no longer wants anything to do with it - and won't acknowlege the problem thousands have had - and fixed via DIY means.


And yea, I been lookin for a touch screen for a couple of years, I've checked dell, toshiba, fujitisu, and several other models Recommended by others that have them for the reasons I want one - the drawing on-screen - personally of all those models only the Fujitsu really caught my eye, but at over $1,000 Used... it was out of range.


The system will be wiped with a clean installation done after preserving "needed" things such as Audio Drivers and such. All updates will be applied and some tests will be taken to get Temps and such. Then if the temps seem out of control - I will apply the fix with new thermal grease and the copper plate, burn it in - and take new readings. If they work - it'll drop the temps up to some 30C - depending on each individual model and some minor changes in the plating and such.

 

[Trotter]

Sounds like a good deal on what you actually want. You have covered your bases and done your homework.

I say go for it.

 

[Gothch1ck]

Re: Been a while - and some good(?) news! (Need battery support)

Sounds like a good deal on what you actually want. You have covered your bases and done your homework.

I say go for it.

The only thing I am NOT happy with is the listed battery life - I figure the battery was probably an original 2008 model and has had quite a bit of battery degrading going on (I estimate 65% gonna use a battery checker when it comes in to test)

Listed with it is a 6cell (Do cells matter in Laptop batteries? or just Voltage/mAh?) "Lithium Ion Battery - lasts about 1 hour"

I figure I'd so some Ebay searchin for the model number + battery and found that they seem to all be 7.2v

Now getting a replacement requires a little more effort though...

12 cell, 7.2v, 8800mAh
10 cell, 7.2v, 10400mAh
Etc. Etc.

Comes down to the "Do cells matter?" question. I am getting mixed answers "yes, it's like how many batteries are inside" and "no, only voltage/mAh matters, if the voltage is the same simply the higher mAh is all you need to look at"

Prices are all over the place too, dang shill bidding and boosting prices. (like the 8 cell, 8800mAh for $400!)

One of the 10400mAh is running a whopping low of $30ish . Very affordable. New, 2 year warranty (overseas of course, but hey, what can you do?)

I just gotta get a definate answer to that big question " In battery life of a laptop, do Cells matter?"


Of course there is still the possibility that the ebay sellers just don't know what they heck they really have, and copy/pasted descriptions without actually looking at the device at all. This is what I believe to be the issue IF indeed amount of cells helps determine the battery life.

If I remember right... Volts X Amp gives you watts.... so Volts x mAh in this case would give you milliwatt hours?
But.. how do the cells factor in for this?
Does an 8cell, 7.2v, 10400mAh have more battery capacity (life) then an
12cell, 7.2v, 08800mAh battery?

I mean.. if based on Volts X mAh alone - voltage is the same, so higher mAh means more capacity. But if Cells have some factor in the equation - then this isn't the case, like... I dunno if this is the proper way to do it, but

12cell X 8800mAh = 105600mAh
8cell X10400mAh = 83200mAh

or a 22,400 mAh difference. But I have never seen any kind of equation based off of "Cell math" in battery life determination though, so... I don't believe that is the case... can anyone correct me?


I couldn't find "Strike Through" option for edit, so I underlined.

Cells seem to be the amount of "little batteries" inside - in whatever form. But the mAh rating is already calculated for the TOTAL of those cells, I believe. Meaning in this particular case - cells have no meaning to me what so ever, besides adding weight.

Can anyone clearify this while I work? Gonna be gone for several hours.. I hope someone looks.